News Roundup – Ferry yard work finished/Jones named Citizen o’ Year/Grow no-park zone extended

Published 7:00 am Saturday, September 2, 2006

Ferry yard work finished

Washington State Ferries completed a project on Tuesday to clean and contain contaminants seeping into Eagle Harbor from the ferry maintenance yard.

Work crews placed sand and gravel over seepage detected in the northwest corner of the site, near Waterfront Park.

Concentrations of copper and zinc leftover from an earlier shipbuilding operation were discovered at the site by WSF in 2000. The site had been treated under the federal Superfund program, which tackles highly polluted industrial sites.

The seepage of heavy metals was found to exceed state Marine Water Quality Standards.

WSF began monitoring the area after 2000 but found, over the years, that seepage levels had not decreased. In 2005, WSF obtained funding for its most recent efforts to contain the contaminants. Construction work did not begin until July in accordance with government fish protection regulations, according to WSF.

WSF characterized the heavy metals discharges as “highly localized, not extending beyond the immediate area” and that they “pose no risk to human or aquatic health.”

“We take our role as steward of Eagle Harbor very seriously, recognizing that our maintenance operations are on a Superfund site,” said WSF director Mike Anderson in a statement. “We’ll be here for the long haul, and are committed to being good environmental stewards.”

Jones named Citizen o’ Year

The Kiwanis Club of Bainbridge Island named Wini Jones its 2006 Citizen of the Year.

The annual award is given to individuals who have made a positive impact in the community. As a volunteer, Jones has dedicated her time to the Bainbridge Historical Society and Bainbridge Island Television, Broadband for Bainbridge and the Bainbridge Island Economic Council, among others.

She currently works with the Housing Resources Board and the City of Bainbridge Island to provide homes for individuals who serve the community, such as firefighters, police officers and teachers.

The public is invited to a dinner honoring Jones Sept. 24 at Island Wood. For reservations call Kiwanis President Kris Ekern at 842-5882.

Grow no-park zone extended

The city will place temporary “No Parking” signs on both sides of Grow Avenue, from Wyatt Way to High School Road, effective Tuesday.

Public Works officials said the no parking area is intended to improve pedestrian travel in the area until the City Council considers a longer-term no-parking proposal for the entire length of Grow Avenue later this month.